Wendy Davis has to sign affidavit to vote UPDATE

UPDATE: Sen. Davis offered the amendment to the Voter ID law that provided for the affidavit when the measure was approved in the Senate in 2011.

The amendment reads, “If in determining whether a voter’s name is on the list of registered voters the election officer determines that the voter’sname on the documentation is substantially similar but does not match exactly the name on the list, the voter shall be accepted for voting as otherwise required by this section if the voter submits an affidavit stating that the voter is the person on the list of registered voters.”

Davis voted against the measure.

AUSTIN – Sen. Wendy Davis had to sign an affidavit of her identity when she voted early Monday for the Nov. 5 election, her campaign said.

Davis, D-Fort Worth, is listed as Wendy Russell Davis on her driver license and as Wendy Davis on the voter registration rolls, said spokeswoman Rebecca Acuña. She signed an affidavit and cast an actual ballot, not a provisional one, Acuña said. A provisional ballot requires a voter to come back later with appropriate ID.

Democrats have voiced concern in recent days that women could be particularly affected by the new Voter ID law because they may have different names on their identification versus registration. They are making a push for women’s votes as Davis is expected to face Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott in the 2014 general election.

But if the listed names are substantially similar, voters must simply attest that they are the same person, said Alicia Phillips Pierce, communications director for the Texas secretary of state.

That’s what Davis did.

Her campaign said she voted for the proposed constitutional amendments to cut taxes for veterans and military families and to provide funding for water projects.

Pierce said the secretary of state’s office hasn’t received any reports of people having to cast a provisional ballot because a name didn’t match.